In SAP SD, partial deliveries for a customer are mainly controlled by an indicator that you set in which master or customizing object?

Introduction / Context:
Partial deliveries occur when an order quantity is split into more than one physical delivery. In SAP Sales and Distribution (SD), this behaviour is often controlled at customer level so that you can respect a customer's preferences for whether and how their orders may be split. Knowing where to set the partial delivery indicator is important for correctly configuring shipping processes, avoiding unnecessary deliveries, and meeting customer service agreements. This question asks you to identify the master or customizing object where the main partial delivery indicator is maintained.

Given Data / Assumptions:
- We are working in SAP SD with sales orders and outbound deliveries.
- The system needs an indicator that defines whether partial deliveries are allowed for a customer and under what conditions.
- Several SD objects are listed: sold-to party master record, schedule line category, delivery document type, and customer material info record.
- The question focuses on the main control for partial deliveries per customer, not on secondary influences.

Concept / Approach:
In standard SAP SD, the primary control for partial deliveries is stored in the customer master record, particularly in the sold-to party's sales area data on the shipping tab. Here, you can specify whether partial deliveries are allowed, not allowed, or limited (for example, a maximum number of partial deliveries). When you create a sales order for that customer, the system copies this indicator into the sales document header and items, influencing how the delivery due list groups and splits order lines. While schedule line categories and document types influence other aspects of delivery creation, the central, customer-specific partial delivery preference is set in the sold-to master record.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall that customer-specific shipping preferences, such as partial deliveries and complete delivery, are typically stored in the customer master record. Step 2: Navigate in your mind or in a system to the sold-to party master (transaction XD02 or VD02) and remember the shipping tab in the sales area data. Step 3: Note that the partial delivery indicator there determines how many partial deliveries are allowed and whether complete delivery is required. Step 4: Compare this with the roles of schedule line categories, delivery document types, and customer material info records, which influence other aspects but are not the main location for the customer-wide partial delivery rule. Step 5: Conclude that the sold-to party master record is the correct place where the central partial delivery indicator is maintained.

Verification / Alternative check:
In a training or test system, open the sold-to party master record and check the shipping tab in the sales area data. You will see fields for delivery priority, shipping conditions, partial deliveries, and complete delivery. Changing the partial delivery indicator here and then creating a sales order for that customer will show that the new setting is copied into the order and affects how deliveries are created. By contrast, inspecting the schedule line category customizing or the delivery document type shows settings related to requirements, confirmations, and document flow, but not the main customer level partial delivery preference. This confirms that the sold-to master record is the primary control point.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option B is wrong because the delivery schedule line category primarily controls availability check, requirements transfer, and movement type, not the general customer preference for partial deliveries. Option C is incorrect since the delivery document type influences document behaviour and number ranges, but partial deliveries are driven more by customer and item settings. Option D is wrong because the customer material information record refines master data for specific customer-material combinations, but it is not the main source of the global partial delivery rule for the customer as a whole.

Common Pitfalls:
A frequent mistake is to search for partial delivery settings only in sales document customizing or in schedule line categories while ignoring the customer master. This often leads to confusion when the system continues to create multiple partial deliveries despite changes in customizing. Another pitfall is to misinterpret the complete delivery requirement field and the partial delivery indicator, which must be considered together. Remember that for exam purposes and real implementations, the central control for customer-specific partial deliveries is maintained in the sold-to master record's shipping data.

Final Answer:
The correct answer is In the sold-to party customer master record (sales area data, shipping view), because that is where SAP SD stores the main partial delivery indicator that controls whether and how orders for a given customer may be split into multiple deliveries.